Preacher Season One: Soap Opera with rednecks and a vampire

Preacher Season One is a hoot but not a riot. If you read the original books then stand warned, it’s different. This is to be expected, of course. Comics and TV are different (and that’s a real fact).

The series is made by the TV company that bought us Breaking Bad and it shows. This is a good thing for the first few episodes and the last few. It’s the soupy ones in between where the parallels can be drawn.

The first few episodes set things up. We meet the main three characters and get a taste of what could be. The middle seems to move into a kind of violent rom com territory as the protagonists inhabit their West Texas world. A world of stunning bleak landscape, beautiful pop video shots and clean grime. The unreality of the setting is fine by me. I like my escapism not to be too real. From about episode 7 (of 10) the build up to the season finale begins. So far so formulaic.

What we are not offered (yet) is a road trip across make believe America. We are offered tantalising glimpses of key characters to come.

Season One is just one long set up. I sincerely hope Season Two is made as I need to know where it’s going. I can’t tell from the books because the plots are different. Although Preacher isn’t an epic box set it is a good one, especially if you, like me, enjoy rednecks, dogma, Irish vampires and dark humour.